9/8/08
HOW DOES AN ENLARGED VOCABULARY BECOME THE ART OF SEEING?
Imagine a first-grader telling a visiting policeman that her dad's doctor is a charlatan or a third grader riding by City Hall and exclaiming to her mother, "Look at those Doric columns!" Precocious children, you are probably thinking, but they are not. They are children of average abilities who have been involved in Word Web Vocabulary, a structured vocabulary program that has opened their eyes to the world around them.
They understand why a television company is called "Magnavox;" a camper, "Vagabond;" a mattress, "Posturpedic;'" an automobile, "Maverick;" and a sports team, the "New York Knickerbockers." These types of words are all around us but go virtually unquestioned by children and adults alike.
They remind me of the time when I bought a new car and suddenly noticed just how many others like it were on the road. I soon realized that those others had been there all along but just had not caught my attention. Thoreau explained this phenomenon by saying, "Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray, i.e. we are not looking for it. So, in the largest sense, we find only the world we look for."
Too often we gloss over what is readily apparent! We look at a building but do not discern its parts, and we will not unless we learn the language of buildings. If we have never heard of dentils or pilasters, we will probably look time and again at a building — we will look at it but we will not actually see it — and never notice these details, for without names, these parts remain obscure.
This sort of oblivion is easy to dispel, however, with just a bit of training, especially if we set ourselves the goal to educate to the art of seeing. A well-constructed vocabulary program begun in the early grades can be the means for creating an awakened eye. How much easier it is to learn and absorb new material when we have our mind and senses aroused to our surroundings, whether we’re reading, riding in a car, or walking outside! Almost everywhere there are stimuli that bear noting. Furthermore, exposure to exciting language at an early age can do much to promote a positive attitude towards all learning.
Vocabulary development is a natural part of a child’s growth in language and general cognitive ability and is an integral part of learning. Since words are major tools of thought, we can conclude that teaching vocabulary enhances thinking. It is well recognized that children learn easily almost anything in which they are interested and that young children are often able to understand and enjoy material that is traditionally reserved for older students. School structure should not deny this exposure to children on the grounds of their age or grade.
That's my word this time.
Ellie
